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Sony envisions universal controller for game consoles

Sony has filed a patent application for a universal game controller that will work with any game console.

The patent application was filed in August 2008 and was officially made public on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The application describes a "universal game console controller that has an LCD presenting, depending on what type of game console a user has input, a controller key layout for a first type of game console or a controller key layout for a second type of game console."

Sony's device includes an LCD on its face that would give people the option of choosing their desired controller. Upon doing so, they could control all the on-screen action with the device's touch display, rather than use a respective game console's standard controller.

In the application, Sony describes its own controller for the PlayStation 3. The new controller's layout would include all of the PS3 controller's buttons, including the L3 and R3 buttons, which can currently only be used when a gamer presses down on the thumb sticks.